Thursday, December 16, 2010

A few days ago, I admitted that I hate beets. Now, you’d think I’d announced I hate sunshine or bluebonnets the way people reacted. “How did this happen?” said one. “I don’t understand,” said another.

Finally, however, a few stood with me in solidarity. And we all agreed that beets taste like dirt.

But then I kept running into a recipe that appealed to me: ensalada de Noche Buena or Christmas Eve salad. It’s a colorful mix of oranges, jicama, apples, pomegranate seeds, peanuts and yes, beets.

As the name implies, this salad is traditionally served on Christmas Eve in Mexico and the Southwest. I’d never heard of it, but I read about it in Texas Highways magazine and learned that it’s also quite popular in West Texas along the Texas-Mexico border.

I began to research this salad and found that no two recipes are alike. I love this in a dish as it means that people will be very opinionated about it and yet there’s no right or wrong way to create it. For instance, I learned that some people add bananas and pineapple to their salad, which makes it feel more tropical. Others add crushed peppermint candy to their salad, playing up the holiday aspect of the dish. There were countless other variations that I saw but the one thing that they all had in common was that they all called for, yes, beets.
Well then. It soon became clear to me that if I wanted to eat ensalada de Noche Buena I’d have to get over my aversion. So I went to the farmers market and bought a beet. Assuming bigger is better, I bought one that was the size of a bowling ball and then spent the rest of the day roasting the darn thing. (Please note, if you’ve never cooked beets before, smaller is definitely better.)

Hours later when the beet was finally cooked, I tossed it with sliced oranges, jicama, apples, peanuts, cilantro, pomegranate seeds and lettuce and then dressed it with a tangy mix of mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice and chipotle chiles. With an all-star roster of ingredients like that, how could it not be great? Crunchy, tangy, sweet and fiery—ensalada de Noche Buena is indeed a stupendous dish.

So if you think you don’t like beets, consider this a wonderful introduction to their charms. And if you’re already a fan, you should definitely add this dish to your repertoire. And yes, I am now a fan of beets—consider me a changed woman.

Method:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Clean the beets and remove any leafy stems, reserving for another use. Place the beets on a sheet of foil and toss with the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and then wrap the beets in the foil. Place foil-wrapped beets on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes or until you can easily stick a fork into the beets. Once cool, rub the beets with a paper towel to remove the skin. Slice the beets into half-moon shapes and place the sliced beets into a large bowl.

54 comments:

Ok, I agree-beets taste like dirt. But in a totally good, crave-able way. When I eat a beet, I feel my body saying 'thank you thank you thank you!'

I can understand not liking the blood red beets. But have you tried them pickled? What about gorgeous Chioggia beets? I grew them last year and I've never tasted a better beet. Almost had a radish-like flavor. Mmm!

Are you going to Food Blog South? If so, I can't WAIT to meet you! Our Texan accents will be drowned in a crowd of Alabama accents, but we'll still have fun!! :)

I keep hearing that beets are wonderful when roasted. I've tried them pickled (many times), and I really don't like them that way! You are just one more person saying I must try them roasted... looks like I'll be heading over to the beet side soon!

Lately I've been admitting I don't like beets too. Maybe I used to like them, I dunno. I don't remember not liking them in the past. Now they taste like ammonia to me, but I'll eat them in a salad if someone brings it to a potluck or whatever, and oranges do help. Crushed peppermint candy with beets? Sounds like a nightmare.

I got a recipe like this from a friend from Mexico City - These days, I make it so regularly that I no longer need the little recipe card, but love stumbling across it: "Ensalada de Orly" with a little smiley face.

I only eat beets voluntarily in Beet and Cabbage Borscht, otherwise just pushing them around my plate. Now it's a challenge to try them using your recipe... and try to be open minded. The salad looks SO festive.

My family has been adjusting our Christmas traditions for the past couple of years (as a result of ailing loved ones), so this might be the year to add a salad to the unbroken tradition of tamales and champagne on Christmas Eve. And this certainly seems like a salad that could be an appropriate foil for tamales...without the crushed peppermint, though. (p.s. I'm partial to my mom's pickled beets hot off the stove)

Lisa, beets are best cooked in the oven; they can also be boiled or steamed. I ended up using the 'Baked Potatoes' button of the microwave and it works just fine. I either slice them or grate them and make a salad with a little sugary vinaigrette or orange vinaigrette. In the winter I mix it with finely grated horseradish, works wonders on a stuffy nose. I also saw a nice looking orange beet salad on Foodgawker the other day.

I was on the fence about beets for years until I tried Rachel Ray's (and I never like her stuff) Red Cabbage and Beet salad (or is it slaw?), which has a tangy vinagrette base, with currants and walnuts tossed in for good measure. I converted then, and since, I find roasted beets and goat cheese tossed in a little olive oil my idea of heaven.

I love ensalada de Noche Buena, and enjoyed your notes on it. Thanks for your thoughtful commentary; it gave me a lot of mental freedom to experiment with my version of the dish.

Personally I adore beets; from their lurid color, to the sweet flavor and closing with great nutritional qualities. There is just so much to love with beets! I'm glad you overcame your revulsion of beets to try them again.

Now I'm thinking about all of the other beet salads I love; I want to go home and cook. And you've given me sudden inspiration. I was wondering what to make for a salad for Christmas dinner, I'm thinking roasted beets, chevre, thyme and a red wine vinaigrette will be just the ticket. Easy and a nice compliment to the smoked rib roast I plan to serve.

I thought I hated beets till my boyfriend bought a bunch of baby beets at the farmers market, roasted them with just olive oil, salt and pepper, and served them to me with a sprinkle of orange zest. I now love baby beets, especially the golden and chioggas, which have a much subtler flavor. The dark ones I love less, and the big ones still taste like dirt to me. Also? Still not in for canned, pickled, or borscht.

the reaction you got to disliking beets is the same reaction i've gotten to disliking brussels sprouts (and yes, I have tried them with cheese and bacon and i still dislike them!). i do love beets though, and i used to think they tasted like dirt, too. the salad looks great and might be perfect for the beets in the fridge right now!

I wouldn't say that I don't like beets -- it's more like they don't like me. I have no idea why, but if I try to eat beets, the result is a rather sudden and nasty case of nausea. My parents stopped making me eat them after I failed to make it to the bathroom one time too many.

This is one of my favorites. We served a version for our Fredericksburg Food Ministry's Fiesta de la Posada earlier this month. Homemade tamales with chili verde, pueblo-style posole with red chili sauce accompanied it. 150 HAPPY people ate every bite of the salad. Beets rule, even in the Texas Hill Country.

I'm thrilled to learn about this salad and even more thrilled that you area now a beet convert! I love the things. (Fried beet chips and beet latkes are good converters too.) Can't wait to try this salad.

I like everything in this salad except the beets. Beets taste like dirt. I've had them roasted and covered with goat cheese and vinaigrette as a salad at a restaurant. What a waste of good goat cheese, I thought. I've had them canned from salad bars - I don't understand how ANYBODY eats that foul substance. I love ya Lisa but I don't understand how you could go to the dark side!

What do you think about making it a couple hours early? Like maybe tossing everything but the lettuce with the dressing, and adding the lettuce right before serving? Would that work? Would it still be attractive?

About to head back to Texas, but wanted to go off-topic to alert people that in today’s HuffPo, Al Franken has an alarming article on how the FCC is now making rulings that threaten net neutrality for getting sites like this one on mobile broadband devices. The FCC is also not banning the “paid prioritization” that could let corporate blogs buy the fast lane, putting our sites in the slow.

The outcry from independent websites was crucial a few days ago in improving the FCC ruling. But we need to stay alert and inform each other as new threats come up. We need a community of Paul Revere web bloggers.

This salad looks wonderful, and I'm excited to hear about its traditional history in Mexico and the Southwest, including along the Texas border.

I'm from Texas too, and have lived in NYC, Chicago, and now Seattle, but I always recall so many flavors and foods. I've learned to seek out taco trucks and Mex-Mex places, because generally there's no point in eating Tex-Mex in other regions.

Thanks for bringing out the beauty in food so wonderfully in your blog. You're doing a swell job.

Okay, I made the salad. 3 hours of chopping (okay, I'm slow...) and I love the roast beets! So easy! I used a navel orange called cara cara which is a little pinker, like a grapefruit. The only suggestion I have is that the ingredients should be kept separate and the salad should be plated with the dressing drizzled over it. I tossed everything but the lettuce and it was a big PINK mess, unlike the beautiful picture in your blog. ;-) Still, it was a great alternative to the tired old ambrosia.

So happy to hear you changed your mind about beets. I go back and forth with them, sometimes they taste 'off' to me and other times I absolutely crave their earthiness. Your dressing however sounds like it would be good on just about anything - including dirt:) Hope you had a very Merry TX Christmas and that you are making progress on your manuscript. Can't wait!!

I was a bit late for Christmas Eve, but made this tonight for our dinner, topped with sauteed Gulf shrimp tossed in chipotle powder, garlic, orange and lime juice. Yum! Definitely something I will make again. Thanks for the recipe!

So this is my first read and now officially my first blog to subscribe to! You are hilarious... and your dishes don't sound too bad either. :) I might even attempt a trip to the dark side myself now having read about ensalada de Noche Buena. Thanks for the laugh and the great new blog to look forward to. I can't wait to dig through the archives and start cooking some of these dishes for my family!

I have been making pie crust and keep returning to tried and true crisco, water and flour. I keep seeing recipes for milk or buttermilk instead of water. Have you tried any of these and what are your thoughts on the subject?